


Reflected in your scars

by Batjokespirkylux



Category: Gotham (TV)
Genre: Fluff, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-21
Updated: 2020-12-21
Packaged: 2021-03-11 00:54:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,128
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28226460
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Batjokespirkylux/pseuds/Batjokespirkylux
Summary: At the end of it all, Oswald and Ed spend a quiet Christmas together with their small family unit. Oswald thinks about the scars they've got because of each other, and Ed wants to give Oswald a special gift. A christmassy fluff fic because I'm feeling festive.
Relationships: Oswald Cobblepot/Edward Nygma
Comments: 4
Kudos: 25





	Reflected in your scars

Reflected in your scars.

The fire crackled and sputtered in the grate, emitting a gentle gold light into the room. Oswald tended to stick to softer lighting these days, his new eye was still adjusting and a little uncomfortable in bright lights. If he was honest, piercing white light still made him shudder, reminded him of that gut instinct to stop Ed getting hurt. He looked over the room at the Christmas tree and smiled and Martine’s homemade decoration. A little penguin with an umbrella and a Santa hat. Made in his fine arts class with his private tutor. Oswald had nearly interjected that fired clay art was hardly fine art, but had found his throat was somewhat tight. 

On the other sofa, the boy in question was playing on his new Nintendo switch. Oswald had read online that all the children had one, so had bought one as a Christmas present. Martine had not understood what Oswald meant by Santa which had broken Oswald’s heart. While Oswald traditionally celebrated Hanukkah, his mother had always had a penchant for taking any opportunity to smother him with her love – so Christmas had become a favourite celebration in their house as just a simple opportunity to show her son her love. Martine had been so excited opening the present from Santa, and Oswald was pleased he hadn’t gone with the sword, as his reaction was to jump around and silently laugh. It would have looked a little maniacal with a sword. 

Beside him, a rather jealous Edward Nygma was watching the game over his shoulder. Oswald couldn’t remember how he had gone about asking Ed to join them for Christmas. He wasn’t overly sure he had. Thinking about it, Ed hadn’t really spent much time outside of Oswald’s house since he got back from the hospital. In the first month, Oswald had written it off as guilt, and a desire to make up for the botched eye situation. But it had been a long while now, and Ed still seemed to want to stay. Ed was wearing a suit Oswald made for him, all those years ago, just before he had realised he was in love with him. Looking at it now he could remember those butterflies, and the hours he had spent painstaking over his confession. He nearly laughed now, feeling so comfortable around this man who had somehow managed to worm his way into their household, and wondered how he would go about a love confession now. Probably mentioned casually over their morning coffee. Something inside him told him that Ed would not be particularly surprised. Oswald was surprised to feel the butterflies return, and shifted in his seat to try and flush them out.

The movement made Ed look up. Ed had always looked so beautiful in the fire light. The flickering gold light caught the edge of his glasses and the green shimmer on his silk suit. Oswald had liked the fabric, had imagined running his fingers over it. He imagined it now and smiled slightly, laughing at himself for holding the candle for so long. Ed smiled back at him. When Ed smiled, you could just about make out the gap in his mouth from his visit from The Dentist. Oswald felt a pang in his chest seeing that. He still remembered that awful sight of Ed, blood dried on his neck and chest. Ed had shrugged it off that day. Oswald wanted to ask him why.  
Ed caught his eyes and held them. His smile wavered slightly meeting them and sighed slightly, letting his gaze fall. Oswald watched the flash of guilt.   
Martine somehow sensed now would be a good time to go to bed. He hugged Ed and gave Oswald a kiss on the cheek. Oswald reminded him not to stay up too late on his new device and he nodded a lie. Oswald smiled slightly.

Martine’s footsteps had barely faded when Ed sat down beside him. Far closer than usual.  
“Oswald…” Ed started as if he had more to say but hesitated. His eyes were uncharacteristically uncertain, like when he faced a riddle he could not solve. Oswald nodded and waited, feeling nervous all of a sudden. Maybe it was the fact that Ed’s knee was brushing against his leg.  
“I’m so sorry, Oswald” Finally, Ed had expressed the guilt Oswald had been sensing for a long time. Oswald reassured him that he had nothing to apologise for. “But I do, Oswald, I should have been more alert! I should have moved out of the way myself.” Oswald smiled.  
“Ed, I would do it again in a heartbeat.” He paused for a moment and looked at Ed’s mouth, which if you looked closely you could still see the slight scars from the Dentist’s instruments on his lips. “I’m sorry…”  
“For?”  
“Sophia Falcone”  
“Not for a moment would I have given you up, Oswald, this was my choice.”   
“Our friendship… reflected in scars…” Oswald chuckled, feeling a little calmer now the air was cleared. “Makes you think.”   
The air suddenly felt tense.   
“Oswald…” Ed sighed, anxious. “I wanted to give you a gift”. Oswald quirked his eyebrow.  
“A gift? You’ve already given me these” He gestured to the cufflinks, which he had worn earlier but had taken off as the evening wound down, resting them on the arm of the loveseat they now sat on.   
“Yes, but a more personal gift.” Ed sounded strange, like he was somehow holding something back.  
“Go on?”  
“I cannot be bought, but I can be stolen with one glance. I'm worthless to one but priceless to two. What am I?” It was what he had said to Oswald that day at the campaign. Oswald remembered the answer, but he paused for a moment too long. “Love!” Ed blurted out. He’d never seen Ed ruin a riddle like that before, so urgent to get the answer out there in the open. Oswald nodded and opened his mouth to ask what Ed meant when his question was swallowed by lips on his own.   
Ed was a surprisingly good kisser. Oswald imagined he was biased, of course, having fantasised about this moment so many times, but the electricity was hypnotising. He trailed his hands along the arms of Ed’s suit and pulled him closer to him. After breaking apart they both let out a breath they hadn’t been aware they were holding. Oswald lent his forehead against Ed’s and smiled slightly. For just one moment, their love reflected in the scars they wore, they sat in quiet and comfort together. Oswald leant his head into Ed’s shoulder and smiled at him.  
“A good gift?” Ed asked, trying to sound calm and collected.   
“Yes… But you could have gift wrapped it.”


End file.
